for defiling an 11-year old girl.
The Magistrate, Mrs Caroliine Oghuma, sentenced Edebiri on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to a one-count charge of defilement.
The Prosecutor, Sergeant Kehinde Adebiyi, had told the court that on 2 June, 2015, the minor and her parents came to police station to lodged a complain of defilement of the minor against the convict at his home close to the minor’s house at Aghimen street, off Saint Saviour, Benin.
The court heard that on that fateful day, the convict went to buy fish worth N250 at No 4, Aghimen street, off Saint Saviour, Benin, where the minor was assisting her mother to sell fish.
The convict was said to have asked the minor to follow him home to collect the money of the fish, where he locked her up in his room and forcefully have unlawful carnal knowledge of her and threatened to kill her and her parents if she disclosed what transpired between them.
The parents of the girl however noticed that the girl was not comfortable as she complained of pains in her abdomen and narrated what happened to her to her parents.
The Prosecutor told the court that following complaint by parents of the victim, she was taken to the Central Hospital in Benin for examination where doctors confirmed that the minor had lost her virginity, adding that the convict confessed to the crime.
Delivering her judgment, Magistrate Oghuma told the convict, “You do not deserve any mercy even though it is the first time you are appearing in court. I consider the offence condemnable since you took advantage of the vulnerable minor. I hereby sentence you to nine years imprisonment without option of fine, to serve as deterrent to others.”
In a related development, the police in Benin have arrested and detained a 30-year old man, Peter Ewanta, for allegedly defiling his neighbour’s three-old daughter.
Mother of the victim, Mrs. Nkechi Amaechi, while calling for justice for the defilement of her daughter, said the suspect’s family members refused to pay for medical treatment for her daughter, adding that her daughter has been manifesting several symptoms since she was forcefully defiled.
She disclosed that the suspect lured her daughter into his room under the pretext of buying biscuit for her and defiled her.
“I saw my daughter the way she was walking. When I checked, I saw that her vagina as very wide. It was wider than that of a woman that just gave birth.
“The man was begging and wanted to fight me. I had to call the police. I don’t have money now to take care of my daughter. I want help from people for proper medical treatment,” Mrs. Amaechi said.
Edo State Police Command spokesman, DSP Stephen Onwochei, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect has been arrested.
Source: PM News
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